When The Stars Cry
by Not So Creative Student
Summary: When stars cry, they sing for unsung heroes. (Standalone) sidestory to The World I Know by Random Visitor Girl.


**A/N: This. Is. F******. Epic. This is the longest story I've every written.**

**Originally this was supposed to be a multi-chapter story, but I remembered my A/N on the last chapter of Fall. So I decided to compile all of it into one big-ass one-shot. 16 pages is just so damn long. This took me about 3 days to finish.**

**This is the official sidestory to "The World I Know" by Random Visitor Girl. To check it out, just go here: s/9313819/1/The-World-I-Know.**

**^Shout out to the pretty lady who wrote this! Hi, Random!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, neither does my colleague Random Visitor Girl own Pokemon. **

* * *

Between the three galactic powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants is an area of space called the Neutral Zone, where peace is very evident, but at the same time, where the opportunity to begin a war lies.

Since the signing of the Federation Charter in 2161, the Neutral Zone was created in order to cease all hostilities between the warlike Klingon Empire, and the powerful yet secretive Romulan Star Empire. On many occasions ship captains- more often Klingons and Romulans than Humans- have attempted to violate the "rules" of the Neutral Zone, and as such, the Federation has assigned patrols along their side of the Neutral Zone to prevent any more attacks. This is the story of a certain patrol group who protect the Federation's borders from Klingon attackers...

* * *

_Captain's Log, Stardate 2245.78, USS Mason. Although patrol duty on the Neutral Zone is, as First Officer Morrison put it, "unexciting". I would agree with him, but our mission is still as important as Starfleet's Deep Space missions._

Renolds turned off his log recorder and pinched the bridge of his nose. It has been nearly 2 months since he was re-assigned to patrol duty. It was starting to get to him, along with his fellow COs, Kirks Hall and Quinn Wright.

At the young age of 44, Renolds has risen to the rank of Admiral. His friend, Quinn Wright, who has been his classmate since their days at the Academy, is a Commodore. Many of their fellow officers at Starfleet HQ had called them the "Sleeping Dragons", for their calm attitudes in the face of distress, and their ability to pass the Kobayashi Maru while they were in the Academy, and treacherous Klingon commanders they have encountered in the entire duration of their service. They have also been said to be smarter than the legendary Klingon commanders Kang, Kor, and Koloth, although it is unknown if this is true.

Kirks Hall, a 31- year old Captain, can be attributed as the same as the two. He has the same passive attitude Renolds sometimes has. He has also been seen reading up on Renolds and Wright's career service, and sometimes Wright is seen transporting from his ship, the _Atticus_, to meet up with Hall for some lessons.

Renolds was about to take a nap when his First Officer, Commander Morrison, suddenly called over the INTERCOM.

"Bridge to Admiral Renolds," Morrison's deep voice broke over the ComPanel.

"This is Admiral Renolds. Anything to report, Number One?"

Morrison said in reply, "We've detected a number of ships moving in warp speed, sir. The _Atticus _has seen it appear on their sensors."

"Are they giving off a Federation transponder?"

"Unknown, sir. Commander Lovell's maintenance check has our sensors unable to verify. The _Atticus _and the _Moscow _are also reporting a negative," Morrison said.

"Hmm. Have Commodore Wright track those ships, and see if you can patch me through to the nearest Starbase," said Renolds.

"Hold on, sir… Here we go, Starbase J-12 patched through. Should I redirect the call to you sir?"

"No need, Number One. Send the _Atticus_'s report, and have them keep a close watch on those ships as well. If they're moving in warp speed, then we can't simply track their approach vector to wherever they're headed. And have J-12 also track those ships with the help of the next nearest Starbase. Alert me again when there's something urgent, Morrison. I'll be taking some downtime."

"Understood, sir. Morrison out."

* * *

Ships moving in the Neutral Zone aren't mysterious, but they sure as hell are if they're emitting tachyon impulses. Or if they're cloaked, which is basically the same. They're more mysterious if they're at warp speed too, which is the case here.

Back during the days of the Cold War between what used to be the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, the Allies (what used to be the USA, the British, among others) sent out "over flights", which are missions wherein spy planes are sent to fly at high altitudes in order to take photographs of the Soviet Union's military bases. Of course, the Allies officially stopped these missions when Gary Powers' spy plane was shot down in 1960. They feared that the Soviet Union would use the incident against them and start a war.

The Klingons, like the Allies, also have their own "over flights", where ships of the Bird-of-Prey line would cross the Neutral Zone undetected with the help of their cloaking devices. Of course, like Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane, the Bird-of-Prey had something which allowed Federation ships to detect them, even if they are cloaked, which is the device's tachyon emissions. Tachyons, which are subatomic particles, are often detected at high amounts when a cloaking device is active, and since the Federation does not have the means to manufacture cloaking technology, it is not very difficult to guess what ship is cloaked, especially during this time of Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi universe.

During these days, reports of Klingon ships crossing the Neutral Zone are often seen in the archives of Starbases. Most of these ships return to the Klingon home world of Kronos unscathed, but in any war, there will always be casualties.

* * *

"It will be done, my lord. Qapla'!"

Commander Koth barked to his superior officer, Kor, as he closed the channel. His orders were, in his own opinion, very interesting. While Kor and his battle group prepared to invade the planet of Organia, he and a battle group assigned to him, _assigned to him_, would move to support Lord Kaios' battle group, deep within Federation territory.

To Klingons who were more sensible, this mission is dangerous. But to Klingons who support Kaios, this would be the perfect chance to make a name for themselves. And for Koth, who has yet to glorify his House, this is the greatest way for him to rise up through the ranks of the Klingon Defense Force. Yes, this, he believed, is the greatest way to honor Kahless the Unforgettable.

"Breg'ma!" Koth yelled. "Fleet-wide communications now!"

"Yes, my lord!" His Tactical Officer, Breg'ma, replied.

_"Calling all the brave warriors of Kahless! I have now been assigned as the battle group commander who will aid our Lord Kaios in battle!"_

The Klingons in the entire fleet cried out in joy, thumping their chests at the same time.

_"Although this is, undoubtedly, my first time leading a battle group, I will win battles for my- no, our- glory! We will sing songs of glory and feast upon the hearts of bahk'tlegh while the corpses of the tohd'salah burn in hell! We will sing for the allies who will go to Sto-Vo-Kor who will aid us as we earn glory! Hail Kaios! Hail Kahless! Qapla'!"_

In unison, all the Klingon warriors cried out, "Qapla'!"

This was just the beginning of what would be the greatest moment of Koth's service, and the beginning of the first spin of the wheel of Fate...

* * *

Quinn Wright shifted in his seat, not knowing whether he should be surprised or not.

According to the report, an entire system, just 20,000 light years away from Starbase J-12, just vanished from the stellar charts. Now this was suspicious. You couldn't make an entire system vanish, unless...

"Number One, put up the last scan on the Jupiter system." '_Whoever named this system the Jupiter system must've been a genius or something...'_

"Yes, sir," his First Officer, Keyes, answered.

Up on the main viewer the last data scan of the Jupiter system appeared, along with an actual image taken by a probe launched by the USS _Polaris _just before she was recalled back for resupply. Although the scan was considered "inconclusive", it was still stored for archive purposes. In the report showed, visually, nothing, since what has been recorded seemed to be the same as it was before this incident. Of course, no one would bat an eyelid, probably because there was a quasar 6 light years distant from this system. They would all believe that this was nothing more than a natural phenomenon, and that there's nothing to worry about. Of course, Quinn Wright wouldn't worry, but when you become classmates with people the likes of John Renolds, you don't bat eyelids. Ever.

His Vulcan Science Officer, T'vok, said, "Sir, stellar cartography indicates that the quasar 6 light years distant would not affect our sensors this much. It would mean to say..."

"That this is something artificial."

"Correct, sir. Something the likes of a cloaking device would have been able to do it, but Deep Space 5 has not been able to detect elevated tachyon emissions. Sir, I do not believe this is quite possible, considering advancements in Romulan and Klingon cloaking technology," T'vok said monotonously.

"Hmm. Keyes, hail the Mason and the Moscow."

"Yes, sir. On screen."

Admiral Renolds appeared on one half of the screen, while Captain Hall appeared on the other half.

"Admiral, Captain. We have a very urgent matter to attend to."

He cleared his throat once, and said, "Admiral, requesting permission to move to the Jupiter system."

"Permission granted, Commodore. Captain Hall, are you thinking the same?" Renolds said.

"Yes, Admiral. I have seen the report, and I must agree with whatever conclusion the Commodore has come to," Captain Hall replied.

"Very well. We depart in 0600 Hours Ship Time. Until then, we will continue our patrol here. Archive all information your scanners will gather. Renolds out."

* * *

"My lord, we are approaching the Federation system! Lord Kaios' ship is directly ahead!" Koth's First Officer, Krem'Chek, said.

"Dropping out of warp in 15 seconds, my lord," Koth's Helmsman, Throk'sha, said.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

The entire crew felt their stomachs churn as the IKS _Voruta_, a K't'inga class Heavy Cruiser, dropped out of warp and came up 500,000 kilometers near the behemoth vessel _Armageddon_. Why this ship was named after a human word, Koth would never know.

"Lord Kaios is hailing us, Commander!"

"On screen, now!"

The viewer flashed to life, and showed a tall Klingon, probably taller than Kahless himself, surrounded by a shroud of darkness.

In a deep voice, the Klingon, obviously Kaios, said, "Congratulations on arriving here safely, Commander."

"It is an honor to-"

"Your services are not needed here, Commander."

Koth could not believe his ears. "W-What, my lord?"

Kaios, again in a deep voice, said, "You are not needed here. I need you to be somewhere else."

In his mind, Koth breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, my lord. What do I need to do?"

"I need you to look out for, as humans say it, _unwanted guests_. I am expecting a Federation starship to arrive soon."

"A Federation starship, my lord? Will you be safe?"

Kaios replied, "Of course I will be, fool. Now hurry, before it arrives!"

"Apologies, my lord. At once."

* * *

"Sir, departure preparations complete. Warp engines ready, approach vectors calculated," Commander Morrison said.

"Ready to do this, Wright? Hall?"

"Ready, sir!" Both cried out in unison.

"Very well. Number One, engage!"

The three starships seemed to lurch, then hurled towards the vast darkness of space in the speed of light.

The wheel of Fate continues to spin, and it nears the final cycle before it is stopped...

* * *

The crewmembers of the USS _Enterprise_ believed that no one will come to their aid. They were about to be proven wrong, because, by the will of Fate, and by the will of a certain omnipotent being, they were, after all, to be helped. Not by their friends, oh no, but by three men who, unknowingly, are walking to their greatest- and perhaps final- hour on this side of the multiverse...

* * *

"Sir, Admiral Renolds has sent a report."

First Officer Commander Welsh handed an LCARS to Admiral Warren. The LCARS contained Admiral John Renolds' full report of his mission, of all they have been able to observe in the Neutral Zone. The report also included his apologies for moving from his designated post to the Jupiter system in order to investigate "something out there."

Of course, since Renolds was already en route to the system, Warren really did not have any choice but to take it as it is. Besides, Renolds did not answer to the same command structure as Warren does. He's assigned to Starbase J-12 and Deep Space 5, and Renolds is assigned to patrol duty by Fleet Admiral Grant himself.

_'Whatever it is that you're going to do, Renolds, Godspeed.'_

_Yes, mortal. I believe they'll need it._

* * *

"My lord, tactical sensors are detecting _three _inbound Federation starships!" Barked Tactical Officer Breg'ma.

"Three?! Classes, now!"

"My lord, a Federation-class, a Constitution-class, and a Miranda-class!" Lieutenant Krem'Chek said.

_'A Federation-class? We stand no chance against such a behemoth!'_

"Breg'ma, fleet-wide message! Tell them to cloak their ships and await my signal to attack!"

"Yes, my lord," Breg'ma replied.

"Throk'sha, how are our engines?"

Helmsman Throk'sha replied, "Our engines are operating at full capacity, my lord. Dilithium crystals charged and ready to cloak the ship at any time. Our warp engines I am readying right now should we need them."

"Excellent. Prepare to engage our warp engines at any given moment."

"Yes, my lord."

_'The vermin won't see it coming, hopefully.'_

* * *

"All hands, yellow alert. Raise our shields. Lieutenant Hikowa, prepare to jump out of warp," Admiral Renolds said.

"Yes, sir," Lt. Hikowa, a young woman of 25, replied.

"Number One, hail the _Moscow_ and the _Atticus_. Tell them to do the same. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Aye, sir," Morrison replied.

The three Federation starships have been in warp for 8 hours, ship time, and they were nearing the Jupiter system. En route to the system they have found no evidence of the Neutral Zone being infiltrated, which really did not set Renolds' mind at ease.

"Sir, we're dropping out in 30 minutes. Please standby."

"Understood, Lieutenant Hikowa. Number One, ship-wide broadcast, please."

The sound of the INTERCOM turning on caught the attention of every personnel on every deck.

_"Attention all hands. We are about to enter the Jupiter system. I do not know what we will find there, but prepare yourselves for the worst. I do not want to risk anyone's lives, but our duty must come before any other sentimentality. Should we encounter a hostile force in the system, I will make it a point to get you all out alive. My thanks to all of you, and may God help us all. Renolds out."_

The INTERCOM turned off as Lieutenant Hikowa reported to Renolds, "Sir, we're stopping."

"What?"

Renolds' Science Officer, T'kal, said, "I have detected elevated tachyon emissions in the area sir. Requesting to investigate."

_'Tachyons? I knew it.'_

"Very well, Lieutenant. Send the data to Lieutenant Hikowa and the two ships and let's move."

"Aye, sir. Stand by."

* * *

"My lord, the ships have stopped! They are moving from their current position, bearing one one five eight! Approach vector indicate they will encounter us on our aft side, bearing three zero three!" Breg'ma said.

"Very well. Lin'chok, ready our weapons! Charge the disruptors and load the Torpedo Bays!"

Koth's Weapons Officer, Lin'chok, said, "Yes, my lord!"

"Breg'ma, keep a close watch on them. Signal our allies to prepare themselves as well!"

"Yes, my lord!"

_'And so it begins.'_

_Yes, yes it does._

* * *

"Sir, the tachyon emissions are increasing!"

"Signal Admiral Renolds and Commodore Wright to stand on Red Alert! Ready our weapons as well!" Captain Hall said. He had seen reports of tachyon emissions elevating all of a sudden, and how they were used to destroy Federation starships. The Klingon ships, while cloaked, emitted tachyons. They emitted _thrice _the usual while they were cloaked _and _charging weapons. This was unnoticed by earlier Starfleet officers, and have cost them their very lives. Captain Hall was not about to make the same mistake.

"The Admiral and the Commodore has acknowledged our signal, and are standing by!" Hall's First Officer, Commander Johnson, said.

"Tal'ven, scan the surrounding area. See if you can get more out of those tachyon emissions."

"Yes, sir," Science Officer Tal'ven replied.

After a moment, Tal'ven spoke again, "Nothing, sir. It's quiet around us. The tachyon emissions have decreased in amount. Whatever was emitting them must have left the system already."

At this moment, Hall's Communications Officer, Alvarez, spoke up, "Sir, incoming transmission from Admiral Renolds. It says that they've detected an ion trail from here to the Eridon system. His orders are that we should follow it."

"Is the Admiral following?"

"Yes, sir. The message says that the ion trail is too big to be from one ship alone."

_'Multiple ships, huh? Then something important is in the Jupiter system.'_

"Alright Lieutenant, we'll comply. Engage our warp engines!"

* * *

After 30 minutes, the three ships jumped out of warp and into Eridon VI, the planet farthest to the Eridon star. There, waiting near Eridon III, was a K't'inga-class vessel.

"Admiral, incoming transmission from the Klingon vessel. It's a fleet-wide broadcast, sir. It's also being transmitted to the _Moscow _and the _Atticus_," Morrison said.

"Activate the universal translator and put it on screen, Number One."

Once the translator was activated, the viewer flashed. On the screen appeared the face of a Klingon warrior, obviously descended from those affected by the Augment Virus back during the days of the Federation's predecessor, United Earth. The Klingon had very unnoticeable ridges on his forehead, and his skin was so brown that it looked like he was just merely dirty. His moustache looked so thin that it made him look human rather than alien. Such are the side effects of the augment virus.

The Klingon, with the help of the translator, started to speak. "Greetings, human. My name is Koth, of the House of Torvo. What can I do for you?

"Greetings as well. My name is Admiral John Renolds of Starfleet. In fact, there is something you can do for us. We detected an ion trail while on our patrol in the Neutral Zone. I assume that it's yours?" Admiral Renolds calmly said.

"No, of course not. If it was an ion trail, that'd mean that we traveled here _cloaked_. We did not come here to fight, for we are merely an escort for Ambassador The'lamee."

"Really, then? Well, if you are an escort to the Ambassador himself, may I inquire where the Ambassador is? As an Ambassador myself, I'd like to see to the safety of my fellow ambassadors," Renolds replied.

"Hmph, very well. I present to you, The'lamee, of the House of Fenro!"

The 'Ambassador' appeared on screen and greeted the Admiral. Of course, this was not the real The'lamee, for the real one is home safely in Kronos. This was just a copy to trick the Federation Admiral.

Little did the Klingons know, Renolds wasn't a fool and he's seen this trick performed so many times. Besides, he's met all the Klingon Ambassadors personally and the real The'lamee looked nothing like the one in front of him now. The real The'lamee was not a descendant of Klingons affected by the augment virus, and as such the ridges in his forehead are much more visible. Once he saw through the lie, Renolds said, "I do not like being lied to, Commander. Now, why don't you tell me the reason why you're here and we can all go home safely."

At this moment, Koth barked suddenly, "Now! Now! Now!"

Out of nowhere, three other K't'inga class vessels appeared, weapons charged. Renolds had anticipated this, but he did not expect to face off against 4 Heavy Cruisers. His biggest liability would be Captain Hall's Miranda-class _Moscow_. It would not last long against a collective attack from these K't'inga class vessels.

"Close the damn channel, now!" Renolds took one last look at the Klingon and said, "You'll regret crossing the Neutral Zone." And the channel was closed.

"Focus your fire on one of those ships! Defend the _Moscow_!"

The _Mason _turned and locked on to the ship closest to the _Moscow_.

"Fire forward phaser banks! Ready forward torpedo shaft, then fire when their shields are down!"

The _Mason_ fired its forward phasers, and hit the Klingon ship. Its shields glowed for a few moments and disappeared. The _Mason _recycled its phasers, and then fired again. It hit, and the Klingon ship's shields were lowered due to continuous fire . 3 torpedoes, fired from the _Mason_'s saucer section torpedo bay, hit the enemy vessel's bridge and its starboard side engines. For a few seconds the ship shuddered, and it blew up to a giant fireball, destroyed parts scattering everywhere in the vast vacuum of space.

_'One down, three to go.'_

"Number One, send the _Atticus_ a message. Tell them to assist the _Moscow_."

"Aye, sir," replied Morrison.

"Reload our torpedo bays. Let's target the next one."

The viewer switched from the destroyed ship to another one, which seems to have taken the hint and is moving towards the _Mason_. The others must've thought the same, and have begun moving towards the gigantic starship.

* * *

"Sir, enemy ships are breaking away and are moving towards the _Mason_," Keyes said.

_'They're going to take out the one strong enough to destroy all of them. Damn it.'_

"Send a message to the _Moscow_. Tell them to prepare to engage the enemy ships. We can't let the _Mason_ get destroyed. Send out a message on the emergency distress channel. Nearby ships should be able to pick it up," Commodore Wright said.

"Aye, sir. What are the contents of the message?" Keyes asked.

"Put in the message, 'Klingon battle group in Eridon III. High-value target in Jupiter system. Requesting reinforcements to go to Jupiter system.' "

"Message sent, sir. Channel's going to remain open until we get a response," Keyes said.

"All right. All hands, full speed ahead! Prepare to provide cover fire for the _Mason_!"

* * *

The _Voruta_'s hull rumbled as one of its sister ships blew up, the result of a continuous torpedo barrage from the three Federation starships. With just two ships left, Koth begins to shudder in slight fear.

"My lord, we will not last much longer! We must call in the rest!" Breg'ma said.

"Very well. Contact all ships, and prepare for a head-on confrontation! We will teach these vermin that they cannot fight against a united Klingon force. Qapla'!"

At this moment, 4 Klingon _Dreadnoughts_ appeared in the system, weapons charged.

"Forward!"

* * *

"Sir, 4 additional Klingon vessels in the system! Approach vector five zero seven!" Morrison said.

Renolds clenched his teeth and held onto his chair tighter. He did not expect this one. He had been _outsmarted_.

"Reroute all reserve power to shields! Recycle our phaser banks and prepare for the next wave. Reload our torpedo bays and fire on my mark. Target the nearest Klingon Dreadnought!"

Commander Morrison tapped a few buttons on his control panel, and in a few seconds the torpedo bays were reloaded with the deadly Mark V Photon Torpedoes, the most powerful the Federation could create at this time.

"Fire Bays 1 through 3!"

The _Mason_ fired three consecutive shots. All hit its mark, but all it did was weaken its target's shields. Frustrated, Morrison tapped a few commands on his control panel again and the _Mason_'s phaser banks fired on the Dreadnought, before recycling again.

"Send a message to the _Moscow_ and the _Atticus_ and tell them to focus their fire on one Dreadnought at a time. Tell them to start with this one!" Renolds ordered.

The _Moscow_ and the _Atticus_ acknowledged the Admiral's order, and soon started to focus their shots on the Dreadnought that the _Mason_ engaged earlier.

After a few torpedo shots- _and a lot of phaser recycles_- the Dreadnought's shields went down. Soon, the entire ship shuddered as its hull took blow after blow of the Federation's Mark V Photon Torpedoes, and exploded.

The Klingons' morale started to waver. After seeing a Dreadnought get shot down, they were afraid that the same fate would befall them. But, as warriors of Kahless, they knew that they had to stand tall, rather than run like cowards.

What they didn't know was that the _Mason_ had used up almost all of its energy on consecutively firing its phaser banks. It no longer had enough energy to sustain its shields. And because of the huge amount of energy used, its warp core has begun to fail.

"Sir, I do not know how much longer we can keep this up! We've recycled our phasers too many times that I do not think I can even sustain power for the ship any longer!" Renolds' Chief Engineering Officer, Lieutenant Commander Stanford said over the Comms. "If we keep this up, we might experience a reactor overload, and the ship goes boom if that happens!"

Admiral Renolds voice said over the Comms. panel, "_Can't we jettison the core instead?_"

Stanford replied, "Negative, sir! We jettison it, and it might react negatively with the tachyon emissions and all the radiation out there! I'd rather it stay here, where we can contain it. But sir, I suggest you move her away from combat for now until we can do finish the repairs. We'd be a sitting duck if you don't!"

"_Understood, Stanford. We'll move her. Thanks._"

* * *

"Lieutenant Hikowa, move the _Mason _three million kilometers away from Eridon III. Put us in orbit to Eridon V's moon. Alert the others as well," Renolds ordered.

"Aye, sir," Hikowa and Morrison replied at the same time.

The _Mason_ started to move, albeit slowly, to Eridon V's moon. Koth and his crew noticed this, and started to move towards the behemoth.

Tactical Officer Breg'ma said, "My lord, our scans are being jammed, but we have enough data to say that the Federation starship is weakened. We can destroy it!"

Koth knew that to destroy a stronger ship with an inferior vessel would merit praise from his allies, so he took this chance.

"Lin'chok, weapons control to me!"

Lin'chok transferred control of the weapons to the Commander after tapping a few commands on his control panel.

On the viewer appeared the Commander's targeting screen, where the target was the _Mason_.

The _Voruta _began charging her Mark IV Disruptors, the Klingons' answer to the Federation's advanced Mark V Phaser Discharge Cannons. It also began loading its main torpedo launcher with the Klingons' knockoff of the Mark V Torpedo. It is weaker than the Federation's, but it could still pack a punch.

The screen flashed with an indicator, saying that the weapons were now ready.

_'Indeed, revenge is a dish best served cold.'_

"This is for our fallen brothers!" Koth shouted. At the same moment, he fired.

The disruptors let out a flurry of shots that hit the _Mason_'s warp nacelles. At once the warp nacelles were destroyed and threw the Federation-class starship swirling out of control. Koth locked on to what remained of the ship, the saucer section, and put his thumb on the trigger to fire the torpedoes.

"And this is for Kahless!"

He fired.

At that same moment, Renolds bid his friends Quinn, Kirks, and the crew of the Enterprise, whom he was not able to help, farewell.

Black turned to white, as the _Mason_ turned to nothing but a fireball in space.

* * *

"No!" Quinn shouted.

"Confirmed, sir. She's... She's gone. No escape pods were detected. I'm sorry sir," Keyes said.

All was quiet for a few, tense moments. Even the three remaining Dreadnoughts, who have seen the _Mason_ get destroyed, stopped, as if to show a sign of respect to the Admiral.

Captain Hall's grim face appeared on the viewer.

"Commodore, we stand no chance against these Klingons now. We must retreat."

"No! We have to fight!"

"Commodore, you must understand. The Admiral's death would have been in vain if we stay here to die!" Hall shouted over the Comms.

Suddenly, Keyes spoke up, "Sir, we have to go. We've nearly emptied our torpedo inventory."

Quinn calmed down for a moment and, after taking a deep breath, said, "Plot a course to the nearest Starbase. We'll leave the Jupiter system to nearby Federation ships. We can't help anymore than we have already."

Hall breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We've already plotted a course. It'll take us to Outpost P-3. We'll engage in 15 seconds. Hall out."

In a few moments, before leaving, the _Atticus _and the _Moscow_ fired its weapons 21 times- the 21 Gun Salute, in honor of the USS _Mason _and its commanding officer Admiral John Renolds.

'_I'm sorry, my friend. Farewell.'_

The _Atticus_ and the _Moscow_ lurched a bit, and jumped into light speed.

* * *

"Where the hell am I?"

Renolds stood in what seemed to be a blank space, devoid of everything but the color white. He stood in the vast nothingness, wearing a white suit.

'_Hello Renolds.'_

"Who's there?"

In front of Renolds a man suddenly appeared- not materialized, appeared, as if he's been there for some time now.

"Who are you?"

The man replied, "Welcome to the Continuum, where people who are chosen- like you- go to when they "die".

"Chosen? What do you mean?"

The man said, "Well, people like me often take interest in people the likes of you. Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Q, and like all I've chosen before you, you get to be like me- a Q!"

* * *

**As always, I appreciate your ideas. So go add me or this story (or both, your call) to your Follow or Favorite list and all that great stuff. R&R, guys! **


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